The World Test Championship, introduced in 2021 to elevate the status of the oldest format of the game, is proving to be a success. The final at Lord’s, which replaces the Rose Bowl and the Oval following Covid protocols, is sold out as a sign of support for the event, and its inaugural 2021 winner New Zealand has been lauded in Wisden for a “long-overdue global triumph”.
However, the structure of the WTC needs to be overhauled to ensure it fulfils its intended purpose. The current system, which aims to rank teams on a table that accounts for wins (12 points), draws (six points) and loss of over-rate penalties (0 points) over series of at least four tests, is too confusing. Moreover, countries are not required to play each other or a certain number of Tests in their two-year qualifying cycle, as they would be in a sports league.
To solve this, cricket’s custodians, the ICC, must take a long-term view of the problem. One suggestion is to create a league, staged over the first three years after the next World Cup, in which the top ten teams compete for qualification by playing each other, home and away, in series that last at least three Tests. This approach will incentivise countries to schedule more tests, while guaranteeing fixtures against the best sides and offering ICC support to financially weaker boards. It will also create a more competitive event, with the best team in the league earning automatic entry to the next World Cup.